FOXBORO, MA -- After the first two games, many said
that if the Patriots could stay healthy they could have a shot at repeating
as champions.

After game three it appears they'll have to see if they can also win
with guys banged up after the team released the list of guys who suffered injuries during last Sunday's 41-38 overtime win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

Eight players were listed as questionable on the team's injury report
on Wednesday. Joe Andruzzi (knee), Troy Brown (knee), Tedy Bruschi
(shoulder), David Givens (leg), Rick Lyle (back), Willie McGinest (arm),
Roman Phifer (leg), Damien Woody (leg) round out the list of players among
the walking wounded, with Andruzzi likely being the one most up in the
air after suffering a tear of the left meniscus in his knee and a bone
bruise in Sunday's win over the Chargers. Bruschi was inactive last week after suffering a setback from a shoulder injury he sustained during their week two win over the Jets, and Phifer is still battling a
hamstring injury that has kept him out since their win over the Steelers
two weeks ago.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick simply felt that they'll evaluate
each player in practice on Wednesday, saying that most of the guys may
be "game-time" decisions.

"[The injury report]'s a little bit longer than usual this week unfortunately,"
said Belichick during his press conference on Wednesday. "I think
most of those guys probably have a real good chance of coming down to the
wire [as a] game-time type of decision or a weekend decision. We'll just
have to see how it goes. I think they've all got a shot but we've got a
ways to go too."

"Overall that list of guys, it's a pretty tough group. They've been
in the training room, they've been getting a lot of treatment, and I think
they're doing all they can to get ready. So hopefully as many as possible
can come around."

Being listed as "questionable" generally means a player has a 50% chance
of being ready to play. In the event any of those listed fail to
show their coach they're ready to go prior to the team leaving on Friday,
with this week's game being in San Diego Belichick said it's doubtful they'd
take the risk of making them fly.

"If we don't think that the player would be able to play, then to put
a guy flying back and forth cross-country in three days, I doubt that would
really be a good remedy for any player's condition," said Belichick. "Most
likely what we would do is leave that player behind and let him get the
extra time in treatment and rehabilitation."

"If we thought that there was an opportunity for the player to play
then we probably would take them and go down to the wire with it and see
how it turned out over the weekend."

With so many of his players banged up, Belichick and his coaching staff
will need to figure out which bodies to fill into their offensive and defensive
packages. The frustrating part of that equation will likely be the
ones who are left as "game time decisions", as they will have been unable
to possibly get the necessary reps in practice while the coaching staff
gives those reps to someone else.

"The guys that can't practice, the other people are going to have to
take reps for them," said Belichick. "We'll just have to see how
those guys come along, whether they can do anything tomorrow or do anything
on Friday."

"We're going to have to make some decisions here probably after practice
today and then after practice on Thursday as to how likely we think it
will be for certain guys to play. [We'll see] how that affects, you
know we have a lot of different packages both on offense on defense, different
personnel combinations and that may affect how much we want to use or even
prepare to use certain ones of those groups."

Belichick said he wasn't sure who would or wouldn't be able practice.

As for the Chargers one of the most notable names on their injury report
was linebacker Junior Seau who was listed as "probable" (75% chance he'll
play) with an ankle injury. CB Davis Sanchez (Low Back) joins him
as "probable", with FS Rogers Beckett (Ankle), WR Reche Caldwell (Hamstring),
SS Rodney Harrison (Groin), T Vaughn Parker (Groin), and T Sammy Williams
(Hamstring) listed as "questionable" for Sunday's game.

LOOKING FOR IMPROVEMENT

Belichick said that his team will need to avoid Sunday's 12 penalty
performance. "I think it's concentration and judgment," said Belichick.
"It hurt us, it kept us from having any kind of production, it hurt our
field position and it won't be good if we keep doing that.".....Is the
team possibly looking ahead to next week's game against Miami? Not
according to Belichick. "Right now we don't care anything about Miami,"
said Belichick. "All we care about is the Chargers. If you don't
take care of business they've got all the guys that can hurt you."
San Diego is currently 3-0.